Science News: Recent scientific discoveries and expert analysis
Read the latest science news and recent scientific discoveries on Live Science, where we've been reporting on groundbreaking advances for over 20 years. Our expert editors, writers and contributors are ready to guide you through today's most important breakthroughs in science with expert analysis, in-depth explainers and interesting articles, covering everything from space, technology, health, animals, planet Earth, and much more.
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Stunning facial reconstructions of 'hobbit,' Neanderthal and Homo erectus bring human relatives to life
By Aristos Georgiou published
A new documentary brings early human history to life with a "scientifically accurate" collection of hyper-real 3D models.

Mystery of Mars' missing water could be solved by the planet's tipsy tilt
By Deepa Jain published
Mars has lost immense amounts of water over it lifetime, and scientists aren't sure exactly how. New research hints that the planet's violently varying tilt may be a key factor.

3I/ATLAS: Everything you need to know about the new 'interstellar visitor' shooting through the solar system
By Harry Baker published
Astronomers have spotted a new interstellar object — the third of its kind ever seen — shooting towards us through the solar system. Here's everything you need to know about 3I/ATLAS.

'Alpha male' primates are rare, with females about as likely to dominate the opposite sex, study finds
By Patrick Pester published
Researchers have found that clear-cut male dominance is rare in primates, with both sexes capable of reigning supreme depending on the circumstances.

'We're bringing back avian dinosaurs': De-extinction company claims it will resurrect the giant moa in next 10 years
By Sascha Pare published
The South Island giant moa could be the next species that biotech company Colossal Biosciences "brings back" from extinction — but experts say the result will not and "cannot be" a moa.

Quantum materials with a 'hidden metallic state' could make electronics 1,000 times faster
By Perri Thaler published
By heating and cooling a quantum material called 1T-TaS₂, researchers were able to control its conductive properties, showing that this type of material could speed up electronic processing one thousand fold.

Echoes from the Big Bang suggest Earth is trapped inside a giant cosmic void, scientists claim
By Ben Turner published
Astronomers claim to have found new evidence supporting a controversial observation that our galaxy is residing in an unusually sparse region in space. If it's correct, it could rewrite cosmology.

Extraordinary 'sacrificial ass' with severed head discovered from Bronze Age Israel — and it was from a faraway land
By Laura Geggel published
The nearly 5,000-year-old remains of a "sacrificial ass" and three other donkeys from a faraway land have been discovered under a Bronze Age house in Israel.

Dams around the world hold so much water they've shifted Earth's poles, new research shows
By Sascha Pare published
Dam construction since 1835 has caused Earth's poles to "wander" away from the planet's rotational axis because of the massive weight of water reservoirs.

Weight loss may 'rejuvenate' fat tissues, clearing away aged cells
By Marianne Guenot published
Weight loss is known to improve health in obesity. A new study provides clues to how: by rejuvenating fat tissue and changing fat cells' metabolism.

Metformin may prevent severe morning sickness
By Clarissa Brincat published
Taking the diabetes drug metformin before pregnancy may reduce the risk of debilitating morning sickness by 70%, early data hint. But a clinical trial is still needed to confirm this finding.

New AI system can 'predict human behavior in any situation' with unprecedented degree of accuracy, scientists say
By Perri Thaler published
A new artificial intelligence (AI) model called Centaur can predict and simulate human thought and behavior better than any past models, opening the door for cutting-edge research applications.

8-year-old with rare, fatal disease shows dramatic improvement on experimental treatment
By Nicoletta Lanese published
A child with a rare genetic disease that affects mitochondria is the first person to receive a new experimental treatment for the potentially life-threatening condition.

Scientists discover Burmese pythons have never-before-seen cells that help them digest entire skeletons
By Skyler Ware published
Specialized cells in the intestinal lining of Burmese pythons allows them to completely absorb the skeletons of their prey.

Whooo's there? James Webb telescope spots rare 'Cosmic Owl'
By Abha Jain published
Located billions of light-years away, the "Cosmic Owl" is a pair of colliding ring galaxies spotted by the JWST. It's also an "exceptional natural laboratory" for studying how galaxies evolve.

Chimps develop fashion trend by shoving grass in their ears — and in their butts
By Patrick Pester published
Chimpanzees are running around with grass in their ears and butts at the Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage in Zambia. This is the second time a bizarre fad-like behavior has gripped the sanctuary's chimps, but wearing the grass accessories in their butts is a new twist.

Why were the Texas flash floods so catastrophic?
By Sarah Wild published
More than 100 people have died in devastating flash floods in Kerr County, Texas. But what caused this extreme weather, and will events like this get more common?

Massive blocks from the Lighthouse of Alexandria, an ancient wonder, hauled up from the Mediterranean
By Tom Metcalfe published
French and Egyptian researchers are making a "digital twin" of the Lighthouse of Alexandria in Egypt after lifting its ancient submerged blocks out of the Mediterranean Sea.

Melting glaciers could trigger volcanic eruptions around the globe, study finds
By Ben Turner published
Glacial melt could increase volcanic activity in North America, New Zealand and Russia, spewing greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Rare form of leprosy infected people in Americas before European arrival, 4,000-year-old bones suggest
By Perri Thaler published
Roughly 4,000-year-old bones from Chile contain genetic evidence of leprosy, suggesting that a rare form of the bacteria that causes the disease may have been circulating in the Americas and long before the Europeans arrived.
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